Post Editing

[Richlizard]

I know everyone has their own way of doing things and would be interested in what routine you go through to get quality video from a shaky Gopro (for example) piece of footage.

I have used dozens of pieces of software and some are dead easy to use. But I fear I may need a 6 month course on other software to get where I want to be without constant program swapping.

For instance, I have used GoPro Studio for making the video look sharp, clear and colourful. Love it. But it needs stabilizing which GPS can';t do. I tend to use Prodad Prodrenaline for stabilising which is really good. But it is fussy what format it will use and struggles with GPS';s format, as do most packages.

For actual editing I use Camtasia Studio mainly because I have used it for years in other areas. Again, it is fussy what format it can use. Trying to edit an mp4 file from Gopro camera is pretty much impossible as it does not like mp4. Converting it to .avi using Winavi solves that but creates other problems.

Then there is the order things need to be done. It is a minefiled of programs and order and just when I think I have it, another problem arises.

I do have Adobe Premiere CC and After Effects and think they are probably the answer.

But would you clever people like to share what your process is. You have a 3GB .mp4 file (no protune) straight out of your camera... now what? 

ps, no I don';t have a mac so won';t be using Final Cut Pro. 

[Opto-Mystic]

Hi Richard

I suggest Adobe Premiere Pro as the best option. It is  a versatile tool  but it does need a little study to be able to get up an running with. Adobe do excellent ';Getting Started'; tutorials. It is more than worth while going through a few to leant the basics. Try haning a look at some here: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/learn/tutorials/premiere.html#all - select ';Start'; - You will also find some great YouTube tutorials but go for the Adobe ones first.

I recommend the same tactic for Adobe After Effects: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/learn/tutorials/aftereffects.html#all

1 hour spent doing the tutorials will save you literally hundreds of hours later doing ';trial & error'; with more error than trial!

This is also a great place to start: http://tv.adobe.com/show/moving-to-adobe-premiere-pro-/

[Hands0n]

I do all of my editing on a Mac using iMovie which is more than sufficient for my needs.

As regards stabilising video after it is shot ... well, I simply do not bother.  My own video suffers a bit of jello which at the moment doesn';t bother me, I';m not after producing studio quality footage. But in all other respects the solution is to try and fix stabilization at source rather than after the horse has bolted [so to speak]. 

I would address vibration as a starter - make sure that props are well balanced, motors also if they';re not. Try and get the air frame as vibration free as possible.  Then, if you don';t use a gimbal (I don';t) you should mount the camera on vibration dampening material - 1/4" neoprene damper is a good material to use.  There will be others.

Another helpful means is to set the camera to record at 60fps (at whatever resolution it will run at that speed).  The lower fps will show up as jello and/or vibration.

Then flying technique needs to be looked at. Try to develop smooth sticks, learn how the aircraft responds to stick input and try to get everything as slow and smooth as possible.  Imagine balancing a cup of tea on top of the aircraft and make an attempt to fly around, turn, hold, as if not to spill any while making those movements.

If, after all of that, your video still needs stabilization then you probably need some fresh tactics ::)

Here';s an example of my typical quality (which may not be good enough for what you';re after, of course)

http://youtu.be/KSHs0DVsOHw

HTH

[Cloudbuster]

yep i use Imovie as well !!! can be a bit frustrating but gives reasonable results !!!!

regards rob 

[Opto-Mystic]

<Tongue-in-cheek>
Richard is lucky, he doesn';t use a Mac 
</Tongue-in-cheek>

Try here too Richard.
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/take-flight-into-the-adobe-creative-cloud/workflow-introduction-for-aerial-videos/
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/take-flight-into-the-adobe-creative-cloud/warp-stabilizer-for-aerial-videos/

[flybywire]

Yep, iMovie/mac combo is hard to beat.  Be careful of over complicated A/V editing suites as they tend to kill creativity quicker than Ant & Dec.

[Richlizard]

Thanks for the replies chaps. I should have emphasized I don';t and won';t be using a Mac. 

I like to think my start video is fairly stable, but as someone stated above... I do want as close to perfection as I can and would never dream of giving a dull lifeless video with no gimbal to a potential client.

I did start to look at those once Donald, but realised I was so far behind it would take me a year to open a file. I guess I will have to try all over again.

Incidentally, in layman';s terms, what would you use Premiere for and what would you use After Effects for? I know they both do the stabilisation, but what order would you do it in? I am guessing...

1. Import to Prem and stabilize.
2. Edit and chop up, etc.
3. Add fancy bits

But no idea where AE comes into it.  :embarrassed

[Richlizard]

By the way, HTH I actually have a switch on my controller which slows down all movements to approx. 20% of full speed so that there is no jerkiness. I think the actual flying side of things is under control and I don';t get vibration (famous last words).

So it is really just wondering what people do to take their videos from what comes out of the Gopro to something that looks kinda special.

[Hands0n]

If you';re going professional, you mentioned "clients", then its a whole different world in my opinion.   I think you need to commit to a decent editing suite - it doesn';t have to cost squillions of £ though.

In the PC world, when I used such things, I used to use Adobe Premiere - there are various versions, I';m pretty sure it was Elements at the time.

Have shaky footage and color and lighting problems fixed automatically

[Richlizard]

Hands, you are correct. I asked because I want it to look fantastic if I can, not something to just show my mates down the pub.

I used Prodren and Camtasia Studio when I produced this one months ago, but I am pretty sure I had to do all sorts of converting and processing to get it to here and took me days if not a week...

Rooksbury on Vimeo

[powerlord]

I';d forget and ae for now.  It';s more complex stuff like motion tracking,  layering of titles and stuff.  I';m mac,  so use motion for similar things.  Have a look at a few of my videos and you';ll see me use it sometimes to do stuff like add true motion blur,  text or graphics on the screen that move around with objects on the screen,  etc.

The most important stuff for making videos is:

1. Know the tool
2. Have a storyboard (and a story)
3. Shoot footage
4. Edit to storyboard
5. Final tweaks,  color correction,  transitions,  etc

Stabilisation in post is a last resort to recover footage that would otherwise not be useable,  or to allow special effects (like a smoothed speed up).

Like fancy transitions,  it should pretty much never be used except in exceptional times for most stuff.  Especially with a distorting lens like a gopro,  etc as it';ll just give weird wobbly footage.

The most ';professional';  thing you can do is the storyboard -  tell a story.  Not just 5 minutes of quad footage.  Where';s the context.  Where';s the field?  Who are you and why am watching this? 


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[Richlizard]

Thanks Powerlord.

So your suggestion is NOT to use PP and AE.

But the question was WHAT to use. All the bits you suggest to include will obviously need to be done in a program right?

So what do you use?

[xxpitt]

I downloaded a free program called movie pad or maybe  video pad I think. Probably not as good as something you spend money on but its good for speeding up or slowing down clips and also playing them in reverse.  Its also good for adding music, but its terrible at cliping or chopping video as it has to re buffer the whole video every time you make a cut. So what I do is do all my cutting and chopping on windows live movie maker then add music and change speed of clips on video pad. Best for those on a budget in my opinion also both handled mp4 fine though video pad won';t save it as a mp4 unless you upgrade to the paid verson

[Wireless]

I recently bought a Pinnacle movie capture device to grab video via 1394/DV and it came with a copy of Pinnacle / Avid Studio Ultimate v15 which is really nice. The only downside I have seen so far is that it pegs the max bitrate for MP4 at 12MBit/s which isn';t high enough for 1080/50P. That said, it does output AVCHD at up to 40MBit/s so all is not lost.

I used to use Adobe Premiere Pro but it was an old version and doesn';t work on my new machine. I can';t justify binning a fortune on a new licence for the fairly simple stuff that I do (See http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=6671.0).

Even Windows Movie Maker in Windows 8 is pretty good these days. It';s no FCP but it';s free and bloody fast at rendering. It also has fully customisable MP4 key parameters on the output allowing 1080/50P at 32MBit/s or whatever you like which is cool.

[atomiclama]

If you are computer minded, have a powerfull machine and plenty of time to learn then I think Blender can do pretty much anything http://www.blender.org/

But I don';t think it is easy, not used it yet so can';t comment. But this is what I';m going to have a look at when I get some video sorted.

Oh yeah it';s free.

Edit :
Nice demo video
http://processdiary.com/video-editing-in-blender-introduction/

[powerlord]

I';m all macs.  But before I saw the light,  I used Sony Vegas for 5 years.  Consumer version is about 40 quid.  Trial available

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